AI are jerks and cheaters

[Shaken_bacon]

Now, I was willing to play this even without MP if the AI was decent. Sadly they are just cheating scum bags. What's the point of playing when they all work together to screw you over. Here is a scenario that just happened and it happens all the time.

Current Standings:

Me: 3
Yellow: 7
Red: 3
Green? (Forget the other color.) 2

I roll a 7 so I don't want to piss off red because he has a lot of cards in hand. So I decide to put the robber on yellow and ONLY yellow.

Next turn is Reds... What does he do? He plays a knight to put the robber back on me?

WAIT WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? The robber didn't impact him and was hurting the top player in the game... Why would you EVER do that? Oh, wait so you can beat the human player... Catan is a 1 V 1 V 1 V 1 game... Not a 1 Vs. 3.

Seriously if the AI is bad that in needs to result to these tactics its just no fun.

[Dagens24]

Hmmm, perhapse he wanted to block off the resource type he covered? Or maybe you have a favourable number on that hex? There are many other valid strats than just blocking the player with highest vp. Or maybe the AI just sucks.

[Shaken_bacon]

I'd go with the later. Considering he rolled a 7 on that turn too and placed it on me again. =P

It's just really bad AI programming. Catan is a fun game, but I wouldn't play the game in real life if my friends played like that. I'd probably flip the table and walk away ha ha.

[Talonforge]

FYI. For Catan across ALL platforms, the AI is programmed to cheat on purpose to provide a challenge. The devs admitted to this in the past (maybe proud of it too). As they programmed for additional platforms, they indicated this would continue for the AI.

Definitely go in knowing the AI is programmed to cheat (this includes getting 7s to whip the player down a few notches and getting rolls that only benefit their terrirtories --- this also means getting what are considered rare rolls quite often -- 2s,11s,12s, etc.).

The AI will make certain rolls when you are "winning" so its important to time your upgrades and road building to accomadate the AI rolls and ganging up on you. Try to spread yourself out somewhat so that when they start rolling specific numbers, you will still benefit from the fixed rolls.

Its best to let most of the AI remain in the lead until you are ready to take them all on.

Play them enough and experiment with how many towns and roads you have versus theirs and you'll see when they turn into cheating bastards. It does force you to play a certain way which some will not like.

I still find it fun beating the cheating AI, though I would still wish the devs would just prevent the AI from controlling dice rolls to a provide a more random expereince. Maybe a game option would be nice but these devs are pretty arrogant when it comes to the AI and player input. The more reason for MP implementation being important.

[Shaken_bacon]

Yeah, but you have to play the game "their way." I have various strategies based on the board setup, but NOPE. Can't use those because I have to play the game with a basic strategy. (Spread out my towns and hope for rolls.)

As far as cheating on other platforms. I don't remember the old Microsoft version doing this. OR the Xbox version. (Which I still play and never run into issues.) The Xbox AI is actually very good, and the Microsoft AI was a little weak. This game is full out cheat mode. AI is ♥♥♥♥ plain and simple. What's the point in playing Catan, when you can't even... You know play with Catan strategies... Well at least I can always play against human players... Oh, wait.

[Tegga21]

SOLUTION:

Play big fish games catan. Ai doesn't cheat and hits each other even when you are leading sometimes

[fredingue]

Originally posted by Shaken_bacon:

Ibut I wouldn't play the game in real life if my friends played like that. I'd probably flip the table and walk away ha ha.

OMG, on how many games my friends constantly banded together versus me ?
At least with AI i have a better chance to breathe...

Nonetheless, what you've been describing happen sometimes. In a sea campain scenario i had settled on 8 Clay and 10 Forest...95% of time the robber would be moved from one to another by the oher players, whatever my winning rate compared to them, watever the number of ressources i owned compared to them...

I won't call that cheating, just a board game mecanism that was (i suppose) coded with a kind of "priorities hierachy" for the computer game.

[//KC.]

Originally posted by Tegga21:

SOLUTION:

Play big fish games catan. Ai doesn't cheat and hits each other even when you are leading sometimes

I played a lot of the XBLA Catan. When you play on Hard, even with a 1-2 point lead, they go 3v1 on you (trade denial, 7's & Knights), but besides that, the AI is pretty rock solid and doesn't get into dumb trades (unlike the iOS version -___-)

[West Taiwan]

I didn't have this experience, many times the bots were attacking each other and left me out of it.

The only time I was really ganged up on was towards the end when I was about to win. I'm not sure why you are having this issue lol

[Shaken_bacon]

Originally posted by Garrett:

I didn't have this experience, many times the bots were attacking each other and left me out of it.

The only time I was really ganged up on was towards the end when I was about to win. I'm not sure why you are having this issue lol

What difficulty are you on? It does this on Hard. On Normal I haven't noticed this issue. Of course on Normal the AI is still terrible, but then I just win instead ha ha.

Also in regards to resource comment. The AI actually went from a Wood tile to place the robber on my wood. So that wasn't it, there was no logic to it.

[Thunde]

Cheating ai on android sucks, you can have 1 point left and then the ai with the least points only get the good numbers and win in a few turns. And you need to place your village's at the same numbers as the ai have because that's the only numbers that's going to roll. And the ai trade with each others but not the player so it be 3vs1

[Dark King]

The dice rolls are definitely against the human player when in campaign mode. If the devs have to use a cheating AI, they can get stuffed.

[Natjur]

I don't mine the AI's all picking on me, as long as the dice rolls are fair (no cheating with the rolls) Cheating with the 'random' rolls is just bad coding if they can't make the AI smarter any other way

[MoochiesGhost]

I just had a campaign game where the other three ai would take turns bouncing the robber around my territories so by the end I was losing three resources per turn and they were consistently blocking my two best resources. Any attempt by me to move the robber to another territory just resulted in it being moved back to me by my next turn.

[Traksimuss]

Still, game is well worth 1 Euro I paid for it. Having no multiplayer, I would never buy it for 10-15 Euros.

[Lady Briar]

I didn't read the replies because I'm in a smidge of a hurry so apologies, but you're right. They DO cheat. AI will prioritize the player even when the player isn't winning. I actually documented instances where the AI would steal from me and ONLY me even when I had NO cards and was in last place. AI will also prioritize trades from other AI over you, and will make unfair trades with you. I've offered AI a trade, that they've refused, and then next turn (on a 7) they offer the EXACT same trade to another AI and accept. Its absolutely broken. I submitted my findings to the makers and they basically just did the hand wave thing and claimed I was mistaken, despite playing both campaigns all the way through FOUR TIMES. That's a LOT of games. So they're full of ♥♥♥♥, basically.